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Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers: 10 Note-Worthy Takeaways

By Sam Mast

Oct 16, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) and Portland Trail Blazers forward Mason Plumlee (24) fight for a rebound during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Kenneth Faried (35) and Portland Trail Blazers forward Mason Plumlee (24) fight for a rebound during the third quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 16, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Denver Nuggets center Jusuf Nurkic (23) is fouled by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) and forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

#3- Great game to show off the Jurkic combo

Nurkic and Jokic started together, and for the most part looked great all game.

Nurkic was heating up early. His athleticism, strength, and size were hard to match, as he rumbled to 5/6 from free throw line in the first which is a great sign as he struggled from the line last season.

Jokic’s passing looks solid as usual, but couldn’t quite get it going offensively. He has a knack for drawing defenders and always seems to find the open man. Nurkic’s strength and size makes him hard to guard. He is also great defensively due to his athleticism, but he does struggle against quicker power forwards which could prove to be a problem.

Together, Jokic and Nurkic can protect the paint with ease. On offense, both can shoot with range, making for a great at high-low game.

Jokic finished with 5 pts, 8 boards. Nurkic finished with 13 pts, 9 boards. And they each added 1 assist.

They are a great combo, but do need to grow more. More athleticism and speed would allow both to guard outside the paint with more success.

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